Dragonspeaker
by LastGodzilla
Summary: Hiccup is seen as useless on Berk, while Toothless is the last of his kind. They both find a friend in each other and are forced to leave Berk, finding out that they have become embroiled deep in a conflict to save all dragons.
1. - Berk

**I only own my OCs, not the HTTYD**

**So, I left for five months, and some people might be wondering where I went.  
I didn't believe my stories were that good, and I decided just to stop writing them. And now, I'm coming back with a bit more experience. I'm going to try and stay here, so I can finish making some stories for once. This will be the final version of Dragonspeaker, and possibly the last revision. I've also got a beta reader to help make sure that my stories are good.**

**Huge thanks to Deer Flower for helping me make sure the story is a whole lot better.**

* * *

**"Dragonspeak"**

* * *

For years I had always thought I was what my dad said I was: Crazy and Insane. And even though I believed myself to be that, I knew deep down. That something wasn't right about it, it seemed too real and not in my head. Up until I turned 14, I started believing that maybe I wasn't insane, perhaps I was gifted? I still can't understand why I can understand them, but I can, and there's not much I can do against it.

Understanding them was always a bit difficult, it made me feel for them. For every dragon that whimpered in pain, that screamed in horror before the ax was brought down upon it. It made me want to stop it from happening.. But, I couldn't do anything to stop them, and it hurt me mentally. It hurt to hear all their pain and suffering.

Sometimes I tried my best to block it all out during the raids, but it was never enough. And one raid, it all changed, I had gotten so tired of it. I turned and ran into the forest, trying my best to just run from all of it. And then, I found him, sitting in a cove... He had noticed me and was about to take me out, when I tried to speak to him.

* * *

Hiccup POV

Being with Toothless these last few weeks has been one of the few things that have made me feel like I finally found a place. I felt like we could take on the world, just him and me. But the more I hung out with Toothless, the more I felt as if I didn't belong anywhere.

Was I still a Viking at heart? Overly stubborn, aggressively headstrong, unwilling to let tradition go because the future was too uncertain and survival relied on me doing what has always seemed to work best?

Or was this newfound freedom bringing out the real me? The more I hung out with Toothless, the more I realized how much I didn't have in common with the other Vikings. The pressure of becoming something I never was and never could be was slowly driving me crazy. Their problems and solutions are always rooted down, unchanging and unwilling to bend even when it hits them in the form of Nadder spikes or Nightmare flames.

But with Toothless, he brought the inner me out, the one that strived to be free, to not worry about anything. The part wanting to reach beyond the safety of the village and see what was out there. Get a scar or two for being overly curious, but proud for at least taking chances.

'Well, enough of these thoughts, I should be worrying about dragon training. If I keep making myself look like a cunning dragon killer, which I'm not, then it'll only hurt me and especially Toothless.'

Not paying attention to my surroundings, I ran into a low branch. "AGH!" That hurt, I need to learn to pay attention more, getting caught up in my thoughts isn't helping me. Well, at least I'm near the cove, that'll help at least since I can splash some water on my bruise.

Upon entering the cove, Toothless immediately bounded over, no doubt excited about the large basket of fish strapped on my back. I'm starting to wonder if it's the fish he enjoys seeing more than me.

**"You brought fish!"** He looked at the fish and I didn't attempt to hide looking a bit hurt at the thought that he didn't seem to notice me.

Thankfully, he looked back up and seemed to notice his error, **"Oh, and you're here, too."**

I sighed and shook my head in dismay at his attempt. "That sounded like you only care about the fish there, Toothless. Even though the only reason it's here is because of your's truly."

He snorted, keeping his eyes on the aquatic treasure but softening a few of his features. **"Fish is my one true priority, I wouldn't want to starve now, would I?"**

I could only groan at his response; seeing his point. Sometimes I wonder whether or not he's being sarcastic or serious. He began eating at the fish vigorously, sometimes stopping to look at me after every few bites.

When this went on for several minutes, I finally asked, "Something the matter?"

He stopped, swallowing his current bounty, and raised his head to look at me. **"We have our weekly training flight."**

"How is it that you can remember our training flight, but sometimes not remember my name?"

His eyes narrowed, and he snorted, **"You're the one that nags me about it all the time."**

What is that even supposed to mean? "I don't nag you about it." He snorted once again, **"Yes, you do."**

Crossing my arms, I did my best to appear firm and confident. Not easy when dealing with a creature several stones larger and powerful than myself, but it's the thought that counts. "I'm pretty sure I'd know if I did."

It looked like Toothless was about to refute that, but he just went back to eating his fish, choosing to ignore me about it. It took him only a few seconds to finish everything off, letting out a satisfied roar deep in his throat that sounded almost like a purr.

He walked over and gestured at me to get on, to which I did without hesitation.

As we soared into the air and behind the Isle of Berk, I was once again reminded how free I felt up here. On the ground, I always felt so limited, but up here, I always thought I could go anywhere.

My training to fly with Toothless was more than just me learning how to learn to ride him properly, so I don't end up falling off. I remember my first time training with him, with us flying so high up I fainted, and Toothless had to get me safely back down.

He still hasn't forgiven me for that, but he has been a lot more forgiving lately and opening more up to me, so maybe he will forgive me soon.

* * *

Hiccup POV

The flight took a long time and to be honest, I felt somewhat sore from it. I don't know how Toothless could still move after all the flying, and be so energetic after it. Maybe I'm just thinking about it too much. He is a dragon, after all, he probably has learned how to fly without breaking a sweat.

Hmm, come to think of it, how old is Toothless? "Hey, Toothless? How old are you?"

Toothless freezes, looking back to me in confusion, "**Why do you want to know that?"**

I shrugged, saying, "I don't know; it just never crossed my mind until now." Toothless doesn't seem to buy that, but groans and seems to give in, **"Hmm, I haven't been keeping track lately. Somewhere near 180 Moons? I don't know how you Vikings calculate time."**

Moons? Does he mean full moons? "Full Moons?" He nods, and now I'm back at square one.

I could ask dad, but he might get suspicious about it, so I guess not.

Speaking of Dad, with me acing Dragon Training, I'm going to have to kill a Monstrous Nightmare soon. Which I'm dreading. I may have been born a Viking, but I'm still not sure how much of a Viking at heart I am.

Thinking about Toothless and my arrangement, it's not the first time I realize I have dug a hole that will end up being my grave. No doubt the Vikings will finish digging up once they discover my 'Betrayal.'

Deciding I did not want to think too deeply about my inevitable banishment, if I was lucky, I noticed it's near night and dad's 'probably' worried about me. He's probably more worried about that nest, but his last goodbye did still wish me well. It was pretty buried under the tone of disappointment and frustration, but still loud in his own, oddly subtle way.

Wait, how close was this nest anyway? Was Dad's map even accurate with this? "Toothless, how close is the Dragon's nest?"

Toothless froze at the question, and I could tell by his posture he was terrified about the topic, **"Why?"** His tone didn't carry the usual sense of confidence or even arrogance he sometimes had. It was one of genuine fear brought on by unpleasant memories.

Why would he be scared of his own nest? Was it because he hadn't been there in a while? "Well, I mean, my dad is the chief. And he keeps going on about a 'Dragon Nest,' and I was just wondering if he's on the right track?"

The powerful, elusive dragon didn't face me right away, his posture still tense as his body tried to ease the tension. After several long, quiet moments, he sighed before turning around, his pupils dilated but gradually expanding as he was brought back to the present. He slowly walked up, looking a bit more relaxed though with a more distracted step, **"Trust me, going there is the last thing anyone wants to do. If your father continues searching and never finds the Nest, then he should consider himself very fortunate."**

"Are the other dragons there extremely hostile or something?" I asked, attempting to gauge what exactly Toothless left behind and pushing away thoughts of dad suffering through something gruesome.

He let out an equivalent of a nervous chuckle, **"You could say that..."** Staring at me with two bright green eyes, it was obvious he wasn't going to offer anything further.

I decided not to press on, needing to get home anyway. "Well, I should get home. I'll see you tomorrow, Toothless."

**"With fish, of course?"** he asked, morphing his mouth into a growingly familiar smirk that I've been seeing way too much from him.

Rolling my eyes, I waved his question away and walked out of the cove, trekking back along the very familiar route home.

I quietly headed inside, and nearly jumped in surprise when I saw dad stoking the fire with some logs. I tried to be extra quiet to avoid alerting him, but he knew I had entered, "Hiccup."

I turned around to face him, "Dad, didn't think you were home this early."

His eyes narrowed a bit, "I didn't think you were either, especially while working on dragon training."

I faked a smile, "Well, thought I could come home early for the night due to rigorous training."

His eyes relaxed, and he smiled back, "I'm glad you're becoming a true Viking, Hiccup. Like you always wanted to be."

He gestured for me to continue upstairs, "I'll prepare some Mutton for dinner tonight."

I help my hands up, "Oh no, I don't wanna be a bother, dad. You probably have some more work to do."

He held his hand up in return, "As you said, I'm off early today. Besides, you're probably workin' up an appetite from all that trainin'. Can't have ya being brushed aside by a dragon's breathing, now can I?"

Slightly touched at his response, I answered, "Alright. I just need to take care of some stuff. Be down later."

Before he could say anything else, I headed up the stairs and made my way to my room. Safe out of his sight, I sighed and flopped down on my bed, trying to think of ideas to prevent me from succeeding in dragon training. Dad appeared to be in a much happier mood than usual, even though his recent Nest hunt once again came up with nothing.

But then again, he's satisfied that I'm 'fulfilling' his expectations of becoming a dragon killer, which will never happen. I could run away, but who knows what danger that could pose. There could be more dangerous people out there, like dragon hunters, or one of the enemy tribes could either kill me on the spot or blackmail my dad.

I could try to convince all of them during my initiation to kill the Nightmare, but that could backfire easily. Either something will set the dragon off that will cause it to almost kill me, or the other Vikings would riot out of confusion and fear. Of course, knowing my luck, somehow both would end up happening.

What am I going to do? Any choice I make could end badly for me, and Toothless. I guess running away and relocating to a deserted island could work, but that brings even mo-

"Hiccup, dinner's ready!" my dad yelled from the dining area. I sighed in relief at the distraction and made my way downstairs. Dad was adding a few more things to the table, completing the set up by placing the meal in the middle of the table as I sat down.

Neither of us said anything, the only noise coming from our utensils against the bowls and dad's noisy eating habits. There was tension between us, but it didn't feel as thick as it usually did. My rise in Berk's popularity was most likely easing his worry about fathering such a disappointing Viking, overcoming his usually sour mood at another unsuccessful Nest hunt.

Maybe I could convince dad that dragons aren't as evil as everyone thinks. I cast a quick look at him, taking in the familiar broad shoulders, commanding air, and general Vikingness that also include shiploads of stubbornness. Who am I kidding? Ragnarok would pass us over twice before I could get 5 words past him about dragons not being monsters.

I must have looked deep in thought, because he seemed to have noticed my expression, "Something wrong, son?"

I snapped out of it and looked up to him, and mustered up a fake smile, "Just trying to think of tactics against dragons. They are pretty crafty, so I have to be prepared for anything."

He smiled back at me and went back to his food. My appetite had been gradually slowing the whole night, and I could only take in one more bite before giving up on that task. Dad continued eating, off in his own world as I further explored mine.

The constant dragon fighting and destruction were as common as fishing, fighting, and feasting around here. No way could we keep going on like this forever. Something needed to change, preferably for the better and involving me coming out with all my limbs and margin of respect intact.

Why couldn't we try reasoning with the dragons? Surely they would prefer a better life that didn't involve constantly fighting and dying by Vikings. Could a dragon be reasoned with?

I must have said my last thought out loud, because I could feel my dad look to me in a bit of anger. "Hiccup," I snapped my head up to meet his eyes. "Some people's minds won't be changed, and the dragons' minds will never be changed. They will keep attacking and killing us until only they are left."

He stands up, looking a bit shaken as he focused on the grooves in the table. Neither of us moved, not knowing what to say. Finally, in a quiet voice, he ordered: "Go to bed, son."

I tried to pipe up, but his quick glare in my direction halted whatever protest I had. Without saying anything, I complied with his wishes and headed out of his sight. Looking over my shoulder one last time, I saw his shoulders slump in exhaustion and heard him mutter something too quiet for me to hear.

With nothing to add, I completed my journey upstairs and quickly retired.

* * *

Hiccup POV

I woke up earlier than expected, but then again, I went to bed earlier than expected. I didn't hear any movement downstairs, so dad must have already gone out Chiefing for the day. Probably overseeing the final Nest return duties, catching up on what he missed, and preparing for the next Dragon Training session.

Suddenly, I jolted up in bed as the day's plans dawned on me. I have dragon training today, the LAST day of dragon training! Oh no, this isn't good at all. I didn't come up with a plan last night and there definitely wasn't time to hatch one out now.

I leapt out of bed, trying to think of what to do in this unfortunate situation as I paced in my room. First things first, I need to warn Toothless, if something happens to me, he needs to run. But given who he is, that probably won't happen.

I quickly got dressed and bolted out the door down the small hill, so focused on my thoughts that I and slammed right into Astrid. We both went flying in different directions, me still distracted and her definitely angry at me. For what exactly, I didn't even try to figure out right now.

"Hiccup?! What are you doing?!" she shouted, rising to her feet and staring down at me.

I quickly got up, saying, "Sorry, I need to get training!"

Before I would break off, Astrid planted herself in my path. Not having much choice, I found myself looking at Astrid and witnessing her great anger at me. "Training starts early today, Hiccup. I came to get you."

My mind rapidly shuffled through the new information, trying my best to bring up the conversation where Gobber announced Dragon Training was moved up. There was a snip of recollection, but I was already going into a slight panic. Astrid continued glaring at me, but slowly her expression, She grew a bit concerned as I turned white.

Before she could say anything else, I said, "I need to do something real quick. Can you wait a few minutes?"

She narrowed her eyes and sighed before growling out, "Fine, but make it quick."

Casting her a nervous smile, I bolted into the forest, body already going down the usual path at a quicker pace. I was so focused on my retreating that I didn't realize Astrid was tailing me not too far behind. Close enough to follow, far enough to remain out of my sense...

I stopped at the entrance of the cove and walked in, Toothless staring up from the ground. Taking in my panting and look of panic, he went back to sleep. However, he shot up as he fully comprehended the state I was in.

**"Wait, you're up early?! What happened?"**

I put my hands on my knees and tried to catch my breath, managing to stutter out "I have... to go... to... Dragon training… It's the… last class and… I still don't… have a plan."

Toothless' eyes widened in realization as he lifted himself up. In the most serious tone I've ever heard from him, he asked, **"What are you gonna do?"**

* * *

Astrid POV

As Hiccup disappeared into the woods,I didn't hesitate to follow him. Something was going on with him and this was most likely the last chance I had to find out what it was. I quietly followed after him along his path, doing my best to keep pace with him without alerting him to his tail... No way was I going to lose sight of him this time.

When a group of rock formations came into sight I saw him enter through a break in the stones. I made a motion to follow right after him, but stopped myself at the last second. Looking around I found a log leading up to an outcrop that would give me the perfect view to spy on what was going on over the rocks...

I climbed up the log and noted the stones I had seen were a wall around a deep cove with a lake resting in the middle. There weren't any noticeable entrances or exits safe the one Hiccup went through, so there was no way someone could sneak in after him. Satisfied, I looked down at where Hiccup's panting was coming from.

What I saw chilled me to my bones. Hiccup was leaning heavily against his knees as a Nightfury lifted its head to stare up at him.

I instinctively pulled my ax out, knowing, Hiccup had nothing to defend himself with and doubting his Training tricks would work on such a dangerous dragon. However, I stopped mid-way when I saw the dragon lay its head down, lifting my weapon fully out when it shot back up again.

To my shock, Hiccup didn't run away, cower, or even look on in fear. Instead, he talked to it... Talked to a dragon! I turned pale as a bone as the dragon continued to just stare at him, obviously familiar with the skinny boy... It suddenly clicked.

Hiccup was working with a Dragon; he was a traitor!

Not bothering to listen to what he was saying, I backed away slowly and when I felt there was enough distance between us, I bolted to the Chief's house to warn him of this treachery. I didn't know what I would say, though what could I say?

The Chief's son was talking to a dragon. A dragon that seemed familiar enough with him to respond to him. It explained everything that had been going on in Dragon Training. A traitor and a cheat! The forest gave way to the village and I immediately ran towards the Haddock household. I skidded to a halt in front of the door, just as Stoick was exiting the home.

He looked down at me, concern evident in his features, "Astrid, what's wrong?"

It took me a few seconds to catch my breath before I panted out, "It's Hiccup!"

Stoick's eyes narrowed in some emotion couldn't Astrid couldn't pin down, "What?! What's happened to him?!"

Standing up straight, I blurted out, "I saw him with a Night Fury! Talking to it! Not scared of it at all!"

His body rocked back in shock, his featuring morphing to despair, "I-Is he?"

Doing my best to keep calm, I voiced what he couldn't, "Sir, he's... He's sided with it."

He stumbled a bit, trying to soak in those words. In a volume so low I almost couldn't catch it, he muttered, "N-No... It can't be."

I looked down, trying not to make eye contact with the chief, "He was talking with it..."

Stoick eyes slowly melted from sadness to pure rage, his coiled body bouncing up to his full height. Venomously, he ordered, "Tell Spitelout to gather a team; I want them here immediately."

Hesitantly, I nodded and ran off to fulfill the task assigned to me. I didn't turn around to see his next reaction, nor was I sure I wanted to. The punishment for traitors was well known and normally indefensible.

For a moment, Astrid found herself slowing a bit as she realized just how grave the situation was. A situation she stumbled upon and had set in motion. Anything that happened to Hiccup from here onward would be on her hands.

Pushing those feelings aside, she closed her eyes and restarted her fast pace. As a Berkian and warrior, she was obligated to tell her Chief anything that would threaten the Village. A threat that included a Nightfury and the son of the Chief.

Is Stoick going to do this? Will he do this to Hiccup, his son?


	2. - Exiled

**CHSHiccstrid: Thanks, this one will introduce some extra plot points as well.**

**Thanks to all those who favored or followed.**

**Again, huge thanks to Deer Flower for helping me.**

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**"Dragonspeak"**

* * *

Hiccup POV

Toothless was skeptical once I told him my plan, but I couldn't blame him since I wasn't convinced about this as well. **"You're gonna try to get through to them?"** Sighing, I answered, "I don't have any other option."

He snorted and walked up to me, seeming to do his best to keep his posture low and not tower over me. **"You can run away with me. We can fly off now and put a lot of distance between us and them"** For a moment, I could only stare at my friend as his words sunk in. Dropping everything I know, leaving my father and Tribe behind, spending countless time in the sky without worrying about returning at a reasonable time. A life free of expectations and a sky full of freedom.

But if I left now, then no one would know where I went. They won't know about Toothless and I. They may even assume a dragon took me away and just fuel their distrust more. I could only shake my head at his response as I finished gathering my thoughts. "As much as I want to, I can't abandon them. Not while I have a chance to change their mind about dragons."

Toothless didn't look too convinced at my reasoning, but I didn't have time to elaborate. "Well, I should get going, can't be late."

I barely turned away from the Night Fury when the reptile suddenly crouched down, his eyes constricting into slits as he let out a low growl. A second later, shouts from above the cove caught my attention. Very loud, angry, battle-like shouts.

No-no-no-no! ran through my mind as Vikings began pouring into the cove, weapons and shields raised and flying wildly. Spinning around as the masses got closer, I caught sight of Spitelout leading them, snarling at the sight of the Night Fury.

Toothless roared and prepared to rain fire upon them. As he began drawing in a breath I called out, "Toothless, no!" To my shock, he actually stopped, looking back to me confused and with eyes of fury as the Vikings surrounded us. **"They're going to kill us, Hiccup!"** I pushed the likely scenario to the back of my mind, backing closer to Toothless while my thoughts spun around to come up with a plan.

"Hiccup!" a voice boomed out, halting the Vikings' advance and freezing my movements as recognition set in. My dad stepped through the crowd of Vikings, everyone parting as they caught his eyes flashing pure fury. Of all the people to be leading them, it would be my dad, the one whose mind I seriously doubted I could change. I lowered my eyes as he stepped within the circle of silent Vikings, unable to handle the look he was giving me. Stoick the Vast may have been a terrible father lately, but he was still my father.

"What do you think you're doing with that devil?" he demanded, voice laced with venom and his eyes a mix of sadness and fury.

I guess the choice was made for me and no matter what happened, there was no going back. Mustering up as much courage and confidence as I could, I met his gaze and stated, "This is my friend." I gestured to Toothless, still on high alert, ready to fire his plasma at a moment's notice. Great job warming them up to you, bud.

Stoick's features saddened quietly as he looked between Toothless and me, so minor I doubt any of the others noticed. "Friend? It's a demon seeking to tear us apart, Hiccup!" He pointed to Toothless in rage, his ax already in his hand.

"It was my choice to become a friend to him!" I growled out, the tone partially surprising me, "Because they are not mindless beasts out to kill us!" Spitelout and the other Vikings began taking steps forward, bows, bolas, and swords at the ready. Toothless snarled and began charging a shot, **"Take another step, filth!"**

His choice of words made me look over to him for a second, some Vikings stepping back a bit at his posture, my father and Spitelout not intimidated at all. My father took a step forward, a fury blazing in his eyes I only see during raids. "They cannot be reasoned with, Hiccup! Why are you doing this?!" The voice was laced with rage and frustration, his eyes slightly softer than his tone portraying.

"Because I just wanted to be noticed, to be something other than useless in the village! Dragons are living, breathing creatures! Just like us, and at least they understand me!" I was on the verge of tears trying to get through his stubbornness, keeping my composition through sheer force of will.

Stoick stood stoic and unmoving, the Vikings unsure what to do next as they stared between their strong Chief and his calamity-prone son. After an eternity of shakey silence, he drew in a breath and stated,"If you have chosen to throw your lot with them, then so be it." There was a hint of somberness in his voice, nearly drowned out by frustration as he continued, "From this day forward, you aren't a Viking. You aren't my son."

All the air left my lungs as his declaration settled over us, the finality and Chiefly delivery burrowing the slight cracking in his voice as we continued locking eyes. The quiet murmurings of the other Vikings were blocked out of awareness, my mind only able to process Toothless and my dad. My vision darkened as he slowly raised his axe to be seen over the crowd.

The Vikings shouted a warcry that I could feel through my bones, breaking the last bit of hope I had that I could change things. Nothing would ever change with them. My hope and plans were nothing but useless daydreams, just as weak and insignificant as me.

Something harshly grabbed me by my shoulders, and with clouded vision I saw my father and Tribe shrinking away as my body was being lifted into the air. A sharp pain startled me from my shock as arrows, bolas, and even some axes were thrown at us. A few were dangerously close to hitting us, but it was only a light graze from an axe that managed to hit us. Was toothless carrying me? I couldn't tell as everything went numb and then black.

Through the dark fog claiming my mind as we were finally out of range of the weapons, I thought, Guess we're flying away after all, Toothless. Darkness claimed me a second later.

* * *

Toothless POV

Hiccup fell unconscious as I picked him up and flew off, dodging the metal and wooden objects being hurled at us; A few were closer than I wanted, and all the shouting was throwing some of my perception off, but we eventually made it to the clear sky.

Not casting a single glance back, I flew us away from the cove, past the forest, over the rocks, and settling out to the sea before I dared slow down. I knew I should have taken it slower for Hiccup's sake, but I didn't want to take any chances. Adjusting my grip on his limp body, I scouted out for a place to land. There were a few secluded islands with plenty of cover, uninhabited by humans, and with some places for water and food.

It took me a while to find a suitable island, still conscious of my fragile cargo and weary of passing dragons. However, I did find one and set Hiccup down gently in a secluded place. Casting a glance over his body to make sure he wasn't injured, all I could find was a cut on his leg.

Satisfied, I sniffed his face and noticed some form of liquid leaking from his still closed eyes. It gave off a slight ocean scent, but that was about it.

Was that normal for humans in pain? I never took care of a human before, so I have no idea how to even care for him. I know he doesn't like his fish raw, which is weird since fresh fish is the best kind of fish.

For now, I'll have to 'cook' by heating them up the way he likes. At least Hiccup didn't need to eat much, unlike that blob of a 'father' he had. I've seen the Vikings a lot, but never paid close attention to them. How could they walk so fast with all that weight? They weren't quadrupedal like us, so they were already much slower than us, and with that much fat? It's a wonder they've even managed to kill us.

Shaking my head to refocus on getting food, I made sure Hiccup was comfortable and hidden before taking off. I saw a few Scauldron's on the way. They are usually not friendly, but I was flying low enough to hear one greet me, so maybe she would be kind enough to scrounge up some extra fish for Hiccup.

* * *

Hiccup POV

The first thing I felt waking up to was pain, scaring me enough that I shot fully awake. Half-expecting to be missing a leg, or arm, I looked down at the source of my pain and saw my leg was covered in red. I yelped a bit in surprise at seeing it and looked up, confusion quickly taking over.

Settled not too far away was Toothless, a small pile of fish next to him. He carefully drugged one in front of him and began charging up a very low blast. When he was satisfied, he fired down and the fish went flying, smacking itself onto the ground in front of me. He let out a deep growl, murmuring to himself, **"What?! How is this even supposed to be cooked!?"**

Blinking, I finally realized he was trying to 'cook' fish, and failing pretty spectacularly at it. And despite the pain in my leg, shock of being disowned by my father, and forced away from the only home I knew without the chance to grab any supplies, I couldn't help but chuckle at my reptilian friend's antics.

Toothless shot up at the noise, his eyes were narrowed, and irritation clear through every scale of his body. His eyes softened though as he looked over me, stating **"You're awake! Are you okay?"** He sounded extremely concerned, leaping over to further inspect me. Whether it was after-effects of shock or actual reality, I couldn't help but feel his concern was genuine.

"Y-Yeah... I'll be f-fine." I gritted out, holding back a hiss of pain. My leg was hurting like it was stuck in Hel itself. Toothless was not convinced and narrowed his eyes at the hurt limb, **"You don't look 'fine.' In fact, you look terrible."**

I did my best to force a smile, not wanting Toothless to worry about me. But I don't think it came out as good as I hoped, since Toothless sighed and gazed down at my leg **"Hiccup, it's alright, you don't need to pretend around me. Honestly, I'm not sure how to treat a wound for a human. Usually, we would spit flames on them to seal th-"**

I held up my hand to make him stop, "Yeah, I'm n-not sure that's a go-good, idea..." He just stared at me, taking note of my posture and shaking body, **"Yeah. It probably wouldn't work as well for you humans..."** Not pressing any further, he took a step back, a squelching sound freezing him in place. He looked down to see the fish squished under his paw. The small blast hadn't completely obliterated the fish, but it did unevenly burn the body and his weight had pressed it almost flat into the ground.

Staring back up to me, his features blanking as he deadpanned. **"Why do you humans even cook fish anyway? It's much better raw"** Shrugging, I let out a grin and stated, "Just a human quirk I can't shake off." He snorted at my answer, walking over to his pile of fish to no doubt 'cook' another one for me.

Taking a deep breath, I looked down to my wound and gave it a gentle prob with my finger. When a major wave of pain didn't overwhelm me, I inspected closer and realized the red spots were dried blood. This meant several hours have passed since 'it' happened, and the wound wasn't anything too major since the flow had stopped and I could still feel my leg. However, treating it as soon as possible is definitely recommended if I wanted to avoid making anything worse. Well, worse than what I've already done.

The problem was how I was going even to treat it? I had nothing with me except the clothes off my back and a dragon who didn't always pick up on human clues. If I was lucky, maybe I could make it a week before I really messed up and accidently chop off my arm. Or maybe I would lose the leg. Hel, a feral dragon could pop up from the ground and devour me now!

Taking a deep breath, I thought, One thing at a time. Just take things one by one. Washing the wound with some water will help clean it up, and surely there was something in my tunic that could be used to cover it, "Hey, Toothless?" He looked over to me, mouth full of fish. "Can you find a river or lake by any chance?"

He swallowed the fish, **"Yeah, why?"**

* * *

Stoick POV

Several hours have passed since the dragon had taken Hiccup, the time marked by the crackling of the fire while I sat in my chair. The other Vikings had left me alone once we left the cove, Spitelout and the others already spreading the news about what had happened around the Village. Once I was fully alone, I fell into my chair and have barely moved since, my thoughts racing in my mind as I attempted to figure out when everything had gone wrong.

That demon stole Hiccup from me, tainting his mind and filling it with lies. The question was when did it start and could I have stopped it? How was I so blind? Our dinner conversation from last night played through my mind. Looking back, it was obvious Hiccup had been speaking that Night Fury. He never expressed a notion of humans and dragons being civil to each other until then.

Thinking more about it, my mind flashed to Valka, a familiar ache settling in my heart. She had the same thoughts about humans and dragons living peacefully, even friendly, with one another. Seeing Hiccup standing next to that beast sprouting that same rhetoric, it was like staring at Valka once again. How was it possible that Hiccup and her were so much alike, despite him never knowing her? Could she have been tainted so much by the dragons that it passed on to Hiccup? The same beasts that killed her as she tried to protect Hiccup, even through her stubborn talk of them being fellow creatures of ration and compassion.

The shock of what happened was still setting into me, giving me a headache so reminiscent of dealing with Valka's talks and her tragic death. I pushed those thoughts away, hoping some solution would come to me. Per the Village laws, I had banished and disowned Hiccup based on his traitorous actions, even if all I wanted to do was rip him away from that Night Fury and convince him not to make the same mistake as his mother. At this point, it would take an act of Odin to convince the rest of them that Hiccup wasn't at fault. That he would never have betrayed us if that dragon had not tainted his mind. That killing that Night Fury would break Hiccup out of whatever power that devil had cast on him.

Suddenly, an idea came to my mind. There was someone who could help me take Hiccup back, and deal with that Nightfury. Once he hears it was a Nightfury that took Hiccup away, he will instantly accept.

Not sparing another second, I went to my desk and pulled out a piece of parchment and writing tool. Keeping my hand as steady as I could, I wrote:

"If you are reading this, then I am requesting your help with a certain matter. A dragon has tainted my son's heart and stole him from me. You may choose to ignore this at first, but the dragon is one that you know very well. A Nightfury. I will reward you handsomely if you kill this demon, and bring my son back to me. Come to Berk, and we shall further discuss our terms. - Regards, Stoick the Vast, Chief of Berk."

* * *

Hiccup POV

After a light trek further to the island's center, my ears perked up at the sound of moving water and I let out a relieved sigh when my eyes confirmed the presence of a river. I carefully scooted to the bank and thanked Thor the water appeared clear, and would be clean enough to wash the dried blood off.

While I cleaned off my wound. Toothless stared through the water and thrust his head in, popping back up with a mouth full of fish. He placed them on a nearby rock, swallowing a few while staring at the rest in concentration. I was halfway through my rinsing when he asked, **"How do you… 'cook' fish?"**

Holding back a chuckle, I answered, "Normally we set some wood on fire, put the fish on something, and then hold it over the flames. It can take a while, but you also can't leave it too long because it will burn the food." Toothless stared back at me, a bit confused. **"If you don't want it burned, why use fire at all?"** "Because humans don't have built in fireplaces in our stomachs."

Toothless still didn't look convinced, but he dragged some wood over anyway as I finished washing my leg. With the dried blood gone, I inspected the long, thin line running down my leg. It was a pretty clean-cut for having been thrown at me through the sky, and it didn't look like it would get infected easily. However, I still felt the need to wrap it with something, just to be on the safe side.

I dug around my pockets, but came up empty on anything that could be used as a wrap. My vest seemed to be the best answer right now, so I took it off and wrapped it around my leg. The material didn't hold down easily and I didn't have anything to tie it with, but at least I had something over the wound. I'll just have to rearrange it later.

A pleased purr caught my attention, and I looked up to see Toothless standing with a proud smirk at his pile of decently cooked fish, one still hanging from his mouth over a small fire. He threw one over to me, and I barely managed to catch it before it hit the ground. He kept one for himself, gulping his work whole while I took a cautious bite.

Licking his lips, he stared off for a second and then stared at me in discontent. **"This tastes like literal dirt. You humans have bad taste."**

For about an hour we ate through the fish pile, me picking away burnt and raw sections while Toothless happily devoured them uncooked. I wondered what our next plan would be. Becoming a nomad that roams isles scavenging for food would become boring fast. Not to mention impractical since I doubted I would survive long without better clothes or a decent weapon. Seeking help from the other Tribes was out, since I was now technically a traitor to our allies and still a decent bargaining chip for our enemies.

I could try to do something about the dragons. But what to do is the real question. Do I try to stop Berk from killing dragons? Talk with some wild dragons and ask them to be nice to other humans? Have both sides sit down and write down what they have in common?

I scoffed at that, knowing my Tribe and other humans would never change their ways in a hundred years. They lived to kill dragons, either for survival or sheer boredom. Maybe dad was right; people won't change their ways, especially if it involves playing nice with generational enemies.

I looked over to Toothless at that thought, who was laying a few feet in front of me, sleeping peacefully. Sighing, I thought to myself, 'That can't be right. Surely there's someone else out there who knows that dragons aren't as evil as most believe them to be'.

Stifling a yawn, I decided I would hold off making any more future plans until after a good rest. It would be a good way to wait for my leg to heal and help me regain some strength. I closed my eyes and settled into a more comfortable position facing Toothless and began to fade into the realm of sleep.

As I drifted off, I swore I heard some rustling close to me, but chalked it up to Toothless moving in his sleep.

* * *

Toothless POV

I cracked open an eye as I felt Hiccup settling into sleep, not daring to move until his whole body relaxed. I stood up and silently stretched out my wings before I went to scout out the area. There probably wouldn't have been any harm in telling him what I was planning, but I didn't want to bother him with something minor. I would be done in an hour or less, and scouting solo will allow me to see if there are any dragons that could be hostile to Hiccup. There weren't any recent dragon scents, the ones still lingering months old, so this wasn't a common spot for dragons to come to.

I sure don't want to come back to Hiccup being dead or injured, more dead than injured really. At least if he's injured, then he would still be alive... Although I recall Hiccup saying that it was bad either way. Still doesn't make much sense to me because even being injured meant one survives their fight and can seek revenge another day. Maybe this was another weird human thing?

I carefully took a step away from my sleeping, accidently causing a rustling sound when I swept a pile of fish parts and branches.. I froze and looked back to Hiccup, who didn't wake up and only shifted at the small interruption, Good.

I slowly began to head to the edge of the clearing, making sure to watch my steps so I wouldn't wake Hiccup up. When I arrived at the edge, I worriedly looked back to him and wondered if it really was a good idea to leave him alone. Out in this clearing, he was easy prey for any predator, dragon or otherwise.

But I needed to make sure there wasn't anything dangerous on the island, otherwise, we would be caught surprised by something we didn't know. This way, I would figure out an escape route if something did turn up.

First things first, I scouted around the edges of the clearing, making sure nothing was hiding itself and could pop out once I was gone. Satisfied that nothing appeared to be stalking Hiccup, I still remained alert as I shuffled away from the clearing.

It only took me about a 'minute', as Hiccup likes to call them, for me to finish investigating the clearing. The human's concept of time is a strange thing, but it seems Hiccup relies on it like I do my wings. I guess I'll try to learn it for Hiccup's sake since he is decent with explanations and is one of the few human's that are nice. Unlike him.

Shaking the thought of him out of my head, I headed off to a spot that I could take off from so I could begin an air search. Finding a good clearing wasn't that difficult, since this wasn't a very thick forest and taking off was as easy as breathing to me flatting out above the trees, I took in the scenery and felt some of my tension ease. There didn't seem to be much on this island, appearing pretty small compared to others I've been to. There were not many important landmarks on the island, comprised mostly of forest. The chances of anything catching the other humans' attention was slim and since no dragon had yet to announce a territorial growl, this place isn't worth claiming.

With nothing else to gather, I landed down in a nearby clearing for another casual ground sweep. Something caught my attention in my peripheral vision, compelling me to assume a defensive stance as my eyes scoured the area. Nothing happened for a few long moments, but I refused to relax my stance.

A burst of white rushed through the trees, and I pounced over to the spot in time to see it rush out of sight through the foliage. Something was definitely stalking me, and I intended to find out why.

I leapt after the white blur intently, but whatever it was, it was clever and knew how to evade me. However, I recognized its path was heading toward a cliff I saw from above, so I just needed to corner it. From there, it would have no way of escaping and I could find out what it was.

Our game of chase came to a close as I saw it disappear through the foliage, exactly where the cliff was. I burst out of the bushes, a shot already prepared in my throat, to find nothing in front of me. Swallowing my blast, I cautiously crept further from cover and forced my senses on high alert. The only thing in my vision was the cliff, a view of the ocean, and a lack of places for the mysterious thing to hide. **'I followed it right here?! How did it escape? There's nowhere for it to even go!'** I grumbled at the thought of something escaping me. It shouldn't be possible.

I looked down at the ground to see tracks pressed into the ground. They looked human, yet no way could a human have escaped me. The tracks were also suspicious, but I couldn't exactly place why.

Growling, I thought about investigating further but decided against it. I have no idea what exactly this thing is, andI needed to get back to Hiccup before he wakes up or that thing finds him first. Maybe I would be able to intercept it if it tried to attack my friend or Hiccup would have an idea what it was. He always seemed to have something new or interesting to contribute, even if it wasn't always relevant.

My journey back was uneventful and nothing new or dangerous caught my attention. If I hadn't seen that white blur multiple times and those tracks, I would be willing to admit I was going crazy. But I still had a weird feeling about something racing through my scales from my snout to my tail.

My slight paranoia eased slightly as I slowly walked into the clearing and saw Hiccup beginning to wake up, no traces of the other creature or anything new catching my how to explain all of this to my human…

* * *

Hiccup POV

Stretching my arms up, I tensed when I heard something rustling close to me. I relaxed, though, when I saw it was just Toothless approaching me from the treeline.

"Hey, Toothless. Find anything interesting?" Toothless's posture immediately went rigid, much to my confusion. "What happened, Toothless? Is everything okay?"

He didn't say anything at first, but he slowly relaxed and answered, **"It's nothing to worry about right now. My main worry is: Are you okay?"**

Mentally telling myself to bring this up later, I did my best to smile while a shiver of pain coursed through my leg. "Yeah, I'll be f-fine..." Toothless only narrowed his eyes at me, declaring, **"You are not fine... You need to rest for a while longer."**

I sighed at his statement and looked back down to my leg, moving my tunic a bit and finding the wound not bleeding at all. "I've gotten all the rest I can get this time. Now, I need to figure out our next step."

Toothless avoided my gaze by looking over to the pile of leftover fish parts. **"Fine, we can do that. Though we can't stay here for too long. I thought I saw something earlier, and it hasn't shown itself since. "**

"Something is following us?" Great, so far my day has consisted of my dad exiling me, becoming a human target, stranded with no supplies, and being barely able to walk due to a wound in my leg. Now it turns out there's something out there able to outsmart a Night Fury and enjoying a fun game of hide-and-seek.

Well, at least this day can't get any worse...

* * *

Unknown POV

Watching him interact with the dragon made me crack a small smile, reminding me of myself when I was young and full of energy. Before I learned the true cruelties of the world and what real monsters were...

I'm still shocked he had a Nightfury with him. A very rare dragon... One so rare, that he was possibly the last of his kind. Sadness for the Nightfury coursed through me at the thought. He was special, both of them were. Far more special than I could ever hope to be.

My narrow escape from the Nightfury- 'Toothless? An odd name for a dragon, but fitting if the sight of retracted teeth is anything to go by'- still had me on edge, but I needed to see what I was dealing with.

I sighed and brought my hand up to my head, studying these unexpected creatures and formulating a plan.


	3. - Exploration

**CHSHiccstrid: Stoick does love his son; he just doesn't understand that Hiccup is doing this out of his free will.  
**

**InuYoiushi: Thanks, a lot will change for them in the upcoming chapters.**

**Thanks to all who favored and followed.  
**

**Once again, huge thanks to Deer Flower for helping as a beta reader.**

**This chapter took a while to get out due to complications, but other chapters hopefully shouldn't be affected like this one was.**

* * *

**"Dragonspeak"**

* * *

**Hiccup POV**

"When did you notice you were being followed?" I asked, finding myself scouting the clearing.

**"While I was scouting the island. I had landed when it caught my eye and I chased after it. However, it escaped me near some cliffs."** Throughout the short explanation, Toothless kept darting his head around, obviously expecting something to pop up. The lack of something did calm him a bit, but I could tell the mystery of the thing's identity and its ability to escape his detection was putting Toothless on edge.

Taking a deep breath and forcing myself to stifle my fears, I said, "Alright, that doesn't sound good. Did you at least catch a glimpse of what it looked like?"

**"It was white and could move quickly. That's all I saw. There are prints where it was last seen, though. They appeared human, but nothing like I've seen before."**

"Well, then that's where we are going to start," I stated, carefully standing up. My leg quickly burned at the shift in weight, but after a few deep breaths the pain became tolerable, almost nonexistent. "Staying here leaves us open to attack, and I don't have anything right now to defend myself. This way, our 'admirer' will know we won't be intimidated by them and maybe I can find something to use as a weapon."

Toothless didn't seem convinced I should go, but he couldn't argue a better option at this moment. **"Alright, I'll take us to the place I first saw it and where I followed it. Stay on guard in case something happens."**

Nodding, I slipped my tunic back on and did my best to ignore the faint scent of blood now clinging to the material. The leg wound was mostly closed, so I would just have to make sure I didn't reopen it. Carefully jumping on Toothless's back, we both looked around one last time.

Not seeing anything, Toothless stretched out his wings and in a blink, we were up in the air. Despite the situation, I couldn't help but feel relieved at the familiar feeling of viewing the ground from above. The mystery figure didn't appear to fly, so at least we didn't have to worry about an aerial attack. If it shot from the ground, hopefully one of use could catch the attack in time to dodge. If not, then at least we'll be getting some answers one way or the other.

* * *

**Toothless POV**

With Hiccup riding on my back, I found myself feeling a little calmer. He may have been human, but there was something about his ease with flying that made him seem almost like a dragon. If he saw something, I know he would have the instinct to react quickly.

However, I honestly don't know what to do with Hiccup… He was creative and could think quickly, but his lack of fighting skills would get him killed out here. He wouldn't have to worry about protecting himself while I'm around... But now that I think about it, that's a really poor way to react to this situation. If he relies solely on me as some hatchlings do with their parents, then he'll never be able to fend for himself if we become separated.

If he learns how to fight, then he can become much more independent and have a way to survive, if we become separated. This figure won't be the only obstacle we'll face out here, and there's tons of dragons and situations that I know of that can be alot worse.

Thinking it over, I told him, **"You know, you need to learn how to fight for yourself, Hiccup."** There wasn't any reaction to my comment, so I carefully turned my head. Hiccup was turned the other way, but I could tell he had heard me and was thinking something over. Deciding to go with the obvious, I added, **"If you can't fight, you won't be able to survive. This mystery figure won't be the only thing we'll see, you know."**

Facing forward, I spotted the spot that initially grabbed my attention and began descending. We were a few meters up when Hiccup finally answered, "You're right, of course. We'll work on that after we investigate this figure."

* * *

**Hiccup POV**

Once Toothless landed I stepped off, stumbling a bit and holding back a small gasp of pain. Toothless turned to me, looking extremely concerned, **"Hiccup, are you okay?"**

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, counting down. "Y-Yeah... I just need a minute.." Toothless cast me one last look before turning back to our surroundings. So far, nothing stuck out from the usual trees and other vegetation we saw by the river.

The dragon nodded where he originally saw the figure, and I willed the last traces of pain to go away.

"Okay, time to start exploring now.." Toothless was a bit wary, no doubt by how I was still shaking a bit, but he merely sighed and slowly stalked to the spot. I slowly followed him, calming myself so I could better study everything.

He halted a step away from the exact spot, allowing me to step in front of him as he stood guard. I crouched down and could faintly make out something in the ground, though it wasn't clear if it was a print made by some creature or just some shifted dirt. A quick study of the foliage revealed something had brushed harshly against it, but it was also too faint to point towards anything concrete.

"Well, something may have been here, but it didn't leave much clues to go off of," I concluded, stepping back carefully. "Why don't you retrace your steps and see if we can find anything along the way."

**"Fine, but stay close to me and stay alert."** With a nod, we carefully trekked through the trees and kept our eyes peeled for anything. Given the speed the figure had run at to avoid Toothless and the dragon's close pursuit, the only thing I could pick up were slightly bent branches and small impressions of flung dirt. Whether from the figure or Toothless didn't really help in revealing more clues about their identity.

Following him, I realized that this island was actually pretty small as we passed through a thick bush and came upon the cliff Toothless had cornered the figure to. The cliff also wasn't that far up, no doubt only 200 feet tall and smooth all the way down its side. If the figure hadn't flown away or sneaked off the side, then the only option would have them take a nice, quick dive into the ocean. That idea satisfied, I focused on the track's Toothless had seen. Sure enough, the outline of them was human. The impressions matched for an adult and implied they had pressed their weight down suddenly, as if preparing for a jump. Given the closeness of the cliff, it wasn't a big surprise for what.

What did catch my attention was the shape itself. Human for sure, but spread out as if there was some sort of foot covering that didn't look like boots. Either they had very deformed feet, which given the Viking and other lunatic human spirits wouldn't shock me if it was the case, or they wanted to keep their identity secret.

Sighing, I looked to Toothless and said, "Well, it's definitely some crazy human, though I can't make out much else."

**"Well, I don't smell anything new, so they have either moved on or have retreated until they can come up with another way to surprise us."**

"I hope it's the former, but knowing our luck it's the latter." Looking around and still not seeing anything, I regarded the cliffs for another few moments. "Why don't we move on then? If it can't fly then that means we'll avoid it a while longer. If it swims, at least it won't follow us right away."

Toothless nodded at the idea and without another word, I climbed on his back and we took off.

The flight ended up being a lot more enjoyable this time around, so long as I pushed the thought of a mysterious stalker to the back of my mind. My rest had calmed most of the adrenaline in my body, the leg pain was much more manageable, my stomach was comfortably full, and the general freedom of flight was clearing away some of my worries. Oh there was still a long list of them to go over, but they could wait a while longer.

However, there was one that I definitely couldn't put away at the moment. "Toothless, you were saying earlier how I needed to learn how to fight, right?

**"Of course,"** he answered, slightly smug with a large dose of annoyance. **"I am quite strong and have handled countless threats on my own. However, I can't be there every minute of the day to protect you from everything. If we get separated, or something happens to me, I don't see the odds in your favor."**

"Wow, thanks for that, you useless reptile." I lightly grabbed the base of his ear plate, chuckling a bit when he shook his head to escape my grasp. He harshly flicked his ear at my hand and I didn't bother holding back a 'hiss' at the sting.

As the feeling faded, Toothless turned his head back to stare at me, his eyes serious. **"You know I am not joking with this, Hiccup. You are going to need to learn how to better defend yourself. Not every dragon is as nice as me towards humans."**

"True, and you're the pinnacle of 'Nicest Dragon to ever Meet a Human.' If I recall, it was your welcoming growl that caused me to ditch my knife and not take up another weapon. You think my learning how to calmly defeat a dragon would come in handy out here." My memories wandered to that first time meeting Toothless, and those days spent learning more about each other and dragons in general. I'm sure that Hideous Zippleback is still cursing my name, even though the eel had been removed quite quickly after that incident.

Toothless huffed at the idea, going back to focus on flying. **"Not every dragon can be soothed by pets and dragonnip. They will take one whiff of you and have no issues burning you on the spot. Though with your thinness, they probably won't eat you for fear of getting bones stuck in their teeth."**

"Showing off your great human skills as always, Toothless," I muttered darkly. "... Maybe I'll actually learn something I can actually do, though. Charging forward with a spear and scream was never effective with me. Most swords were too heavy for me to lift. Same with bolas. Crossbows had too much kick. Heck, even the shields did me little good since my arms slipped through the straps too easily. I don't even want to think about jumping at a dragon's head and wrestling them down that way."

As I finished, another island came into view and Toothless cautiously adjusted our course in that direction. He took several minutes studying part of the island and taking in the scents it gave off. Once he was satisfied at the small study, he landed on a cliff similar to the one we had taken off from.

I slid off his back carefully, glad when my leg barely signalled a snap of pain. Nothing immediately jumped out from the trees to attack us, nor did anything reach out from the cliff and snatch us up. We were alone at the moment.

Looking back up from the cliffside, I commented, "Well, this seems a decent spot for a make-shift base. Once we explore the interior, I say we come back and use this spot as a marker. What do you say, Toothless?"

Turning, I frowned when I saw he didn't look like he was paying attention to what I was saying. He kept looking into the air, carefully sniffing and studying our surroundings. He glanced back at me, saying, **"There's definitely more activity here, but I can't decide by what. This place has some smell that's masking other scents up."**

"Do you think we should leave then?"

**"... No, we should be fine for now. Just be on your guard and don't do anything stupid."**

"Do I ever?" I joked, smiling when he continued looking at me in exasperation. Throwing my arms in mock surrender, I started walking along the cliff side with him following beside me.

We walked for a good while along the edge, ready to fight or fly at a moment's notice. However, the only things we saw were birds and small forest life. Nothing dangerous yet, though we would need to scout out a resting place at some point while we had the energy and light.

As if reading my thoughts, Toothless suggested, **"You wouldn't mind if I took a better look in the air? This edge can go on for a while and we should focus on resting soon."**

I smiled, saying, "I won't stop you. I'll stay in this area and promise not to get attacked right away. But hey, maybe I can talk the threat down."

Toothless rolled his head, but he did let out a gummy smile. I grimaced a bit, still taking a while to get used to it. **"Do remember what we talked about."** Without another word, he rushed over and jumped off the cliff, gliding, then flying upwards where he went out of sight.

I walked around the edge a bit longer and when nothing appeared out of the ordinary, decided to head a bit inland. Breaking off a few branches, I laid them on the ground so Toothless would have an idea where I went and slowly entered the forest. As I walked through the trees, carefully leaving a light trail, a small breeze blew through and I caught a faint whiff of something.

Stopping, I took another breath and was barely able to pick up on a sharp, stinging scent. It wasn't enough to aggravate my nose and there was something very familiar about it, but I couldn't pin down a possible source.

When the breeze brought the smell back, I focused a lot more and realized it seemed to be coming ahead of me. "Strange island, strange smell, stalker on the loose, injured leg, no weapon, and no Toothless," I muttered to myself, already moving forward. "Not like my life can get any worse anyway."

As I walked further inland, I stumbled upon a clearing and just on the other side, was a large cave. The base was crowded with rocks and shrubs so I couldn't make out anything right away. The wind picked up again, revealing the origin of the smell was coming from the cave. "Strange clearing, still no weapons or Toothless. Let's see what else the gods have in store for me."

I cautiously creeped forward, glancing around the clearing. Once I made it to the other side and stood at the cave's entrance, a cold wind beat against my back and I found myself considering turning back. Any sane person would at this point, but then again, a sane person also wouldn't be out here anyway since they wouldn't be a dragon-friending traitor.

"All or nothing, I guess."

Without sparing another moment, I carefully cut through the shrubs and stepped over the rocks until I passed the cave's entrance. Immediately, a chill swept through my body as I realized the light from outside barely illuminated a few meters in front of me. Looking around, I picked up a hand's sized rock and made my way further in until I passed the light's edge.

I took a few more steps and barely managed to hold back a scream when my foot pressed down into something that emitted a loud crack. Unable to hold back my morbid curiosity, I crouched down to feel along the object's outline and felt my blood run cold.

At the end of my fingertips, brittle and smooth, was a bone. A human bone. Dreadfully, my eyes decided now was the time to better adjust to the low light, so I couldn't avoid seeing more bones scattered about in front of me, weapons and armor lying alongside them.

Not good. Not good. Not good, my mind chanted as I stood up and took a step back. Another loud crunch sounded beneath my feet. I looked wide-eyed down at the pieces of a crushed skull surrounding my foot.

**"I can smell you, Human..."** a voice hissed from the darkness, its tone so deep it almost seemed to blend with the dark shadows, Shuddering in fear, and I backed away slowly as some of those shadows shifted from the cave's interior.

In slow motion, a Monstrous Nightmare poked his head out from the darkness, it's bright eyes locked onto me. It stalked forward, its body still blanketed in darkness so all I could make out was its spikes and claws.

When it noticed I was slowly backing away, and it laughed, the noise bouncing against the walls in chilling echoes. "**Scared, Human? Good."** It took another step and I flinched when it didn't flinch at stepping over the other bones. **"It's been a while since I've hunted your kind."**

I was so focused on the dragon I didn't pay attention to my footing and one wrong step back caused me to trip over a bone."W-Wait, please!" I frantically called out, crawling away as much as I could.

The Nightmare was suddenly above me, pinning me down under its claws that still contained traces of old bones. My mind went blank as its eyes bore into mine, and I could barely breathe as its burning scent (Oh, now's a great time to remember where that came from!) flooded my nostrils.

**"You are an Absolutely Pathetic excuse for a Human,"** it screeched, pressing its weight minutely down. **"Of all the humans that came here, not one backed down, even in the fear of death. And yet here you are, cowering like a hatchling!"** Well, there's something to be said about being able to disappoint both humans and a threatening dragon within a day's time. **"After all, aren't your kind supposed to be dragon killers?"** The last part was laced bitterness and venom, no doubt he hated humans. **"It's only fair you die by what you spend your whole life trying to kill."**

"I-I'm-" The pressure was crushing, but I managed to wheeze out. "not a killer. Nev-ver cou-cou-ld do it."

The Nightmare froze, its eyes widening as it took enough pressure off so I could draw in much needed breaths. He regarded me for a moment, before narrowing his eyes once again. **"You... Understood me?"**

Tentatively, I nodded, carefully stating, "Yes. Every word."

It brought its face closer to mine, roaring, **"How?!"**

Still terrified and now partially deaf, but glad I wasn't being chewed on yet, I answered, "I-I... Don't know."

The nightmare snarled angrily, **"You don't know? What kind of answer is that?! You should know!"**

"I just don't know… It's something I've had since I was born. No one knows I have this ability, and it's why I'm here now." The Nightmare snorted angrily at my response, his skin beginning to heat up, as I tried to worm my way out of its grasp.

Just a second before it burst into flames, a primal shriek rang through the air and something crashed into the Nightmare.

* * *

**Toothless POV**

Finishing up my scouting and coming across a few potential spots, I made my way back where I left Hiccup. I found a single cave, just below the cliff near where I took off. Nothing stuck out to me, but it wouldn't hurt to look later and give Hiccup something to do. Learning how to properly explore instead of running in head first with no plan would do the human some good

When I didn't see him along the cliff's edge and saw some foliage deliberately places, I could only shake my head as I followed his trail. At least he was slowly learning. It was a few meters into the forest that I picked up on the strange scent once again.

However, I immediately froze when I realized what I was smelling. _**Oh no! If Hiccup went this way th-**_

I was contemplating what to do when the sound of a dragon, a Frightful Horror, drew my attention. _**This isn't good!**_

I dove down towards the sound and quickly came upon a cave, where the scent of Hiccup and the Frightful Horror were emitting from. I darted into the cave and let out a shriek as I collided with a large form towering above a pinned Hiccup.

The Frightful went crashing into the wall as it proceeded to flame up, the cave lighting up brightly as the other dragon burst into flames. The Frightful stood up in a rage, roaring out, **"How dare you!"** I quickly put myself between it and a still panting Hiccup, who was attempting to get back on his feet. It stood up, high flames smothering down, and raised an eyebrow at me, **"A Midnight Storm? I thought he killed all of you?"** The mention of him made me snarl, and the Frightful nearly took a step back. The mere mention of his name made me charge up a shot, and the Frightful immediately assumed an offensive stance once again.

Before it could make another move, I readied my release when I saw a form move past me, shouting, "Toothless, no! Stop!" **_Hiccup!_** I barely managed to divert my shot to side as Hiccup stepped between me and the Frightful.

As the shot streaked through the air, its energy lightly grazed against Hiccup and caused him to fall back down as his balance gave out. The shot blasted against the wall a few inches from the Frightful, who flinched away as small debris dusted his snout.

**"Hiccup?!"** I bounded over to him, making sure to shield him from the Frightful's sight. Horror coursed through my body that I had nearly shot Hiccup. **"What were you thinking?! You could have been killed!"**

I looked back at Frightful in contempt, his eyes wide as he realized who had kept him from being plastered against the cave wall. **"You.. tried to save..."** it muttered, looking past me to the being slowly returning to his feet.

Hiccup shakily stood up, wincing when he put too much pressure on his injured leg, which was giving off a faint smell of fresh blood. Despite his less than strong stance, Hiccup locked eyes with the Frightful and stated, "I don't want anyone to die, Dragon or Human..."

Silence boomed in the cave, broken only by Hiccup's light panting and creaking of bones and rock. The Frightful stared on at us, appearing neither angry or happy. Finally, it looked away, saying **"I have never met a human, that would say anything close to that… Though most aren't foolish enough to approach a dragon weaponless."** The Frightful seemed to be too proud to say something nice, or hated humans too much to admit Hiccup could be a nice human.

Hiccup was still shaking a bit, but was calming noticeably down now that no one was flying to attack each other. "As my father and everyone else would say, I'm not like most Vikings. Even if I had something to fight you with, I probably end up hurting myself more. All Toothless had to do was growl and I was ready to toss my knife away when we met."

**"Toothless?"** the Frightful repeated, staring back at me in confusion. **"That's what you choose to be referred to as by this weak little human? Pathetic."** I didn't say anything, but a noticeable growl full of teeth and extended claws was enough to prove my point to the other dragon.

Ignoring my action, Hiccups continued, "I asked, and he didn't mind. He's my friend, and the reason I'm out here anyway. Turns out, my Village doesn't like the idea of humans and dragons becoming friends."

**"For once, I will have to agree with a human sentiment,"** the other growled, though more at the thought than at Hiccup. **"Your kind does nothing but cause trouble and bloodshed wherever they stumble to. It's ridiculous to imagine any sort of truce between us."**

"You're right. This is gonna take time, but at least Toothless and I are starting now. Maybe, we can put our differences aside and become friends instead of enemies?"

The Frightful's eyes shifted instantly to rage, **"You me want me to just forget what happened to me, by your kind?! The battles and losses I've suffered from you humans! Throw it away in the name of 'friendship'?! "** I snarled in response and made a more protective stance, but a hand on my back made me stop. I glanced at Hiccup, his eyes pleading with me to let him handle this. Begrudgingly I backed down, but kept myself ready.

"No, I don't expect you to just forget about what they've done to you... But I won't do what they've done to you." Hiccup kept his eyes locked on the other dragon, whose rage was once again subsiding into study. The Frightful took a step forward and looked me in the eye, attempting to find something that would assist him in figuring out if Hiccup's words carried any meaning.

Whether he found what he wanted or not, he snorted and turned around, gesturing the entrance with his tail, **"You should leave before I change my mind. You're obviously not a threat to me, human, and you're more likely to die by your own actions anyway. That is the only reason I'm letting you leave, so don't think this will make us friends..."**

Hiccup held his hand up, shouting, "Wait!" The Frightful stopped and took a glance back at Hiccup, annoyed but still curious enough to entertain my human, "Do... you have a name?"

The Frightful looked confused, **"A name?"**

Hiccup gave a small smile, his fear evident but not too obvious. "Uh, something someone would call you Or how I address Toothless" He gestured to me for emphasis.

The Frightful looked down, before responding coldy, **"No."**

"Can I give you one then? So I can remember which dragon decided not to kill me." The Frightful still seemed confused, but nodded slowly at the strange request. "Well, you seem to like using your claws, I guess? So how about a simple name, like Claws?"

The Frightful narrowed his eyes dangerously, obviously finding the name lacking. He struck me as a dragon that would prefer a stronger, more menacing name, but Hiccup's quick thinking did not translate to naming

Hiccup held up his hands in defense, adding, "Ok, ok, we can try a different one! Maybe, Raker?"

The Frightful Horror pondered for a moment, shrugging in a way I couldn't tell was acceptance or dismissive, before walking back into his cave, calling out, **"Just leave before I decide to add your bones to my collection."**

* * *

**Unknown POV**

Normally, I would laugh at the many contacts I've gotten about a vengeful parent wanting me to kill a particular dragon, but this one was one I could not refuse. Especially at the request of an old acquaintance. Stoick knew I wouldn't refuse as soon as he brought up the Night Fury... Though his phrase about the Dragon 'tainting' his son's heart made me laugh the first time I saw it.

However, something seemed off about it. A Night Fury would always grab my attention, but his wording definitely played a role in convincing me to head out here personally. Something told me this hunt wouldn't be like the others I've led.

A chitter made me come back to the real world, and I looked over at the growing Isle of Berk from the deck of my ship. One of my smaller, more mobile vessels meant for quick travel and scouting. Once I had more information, I would decide how to direct the rest of the fleet.

I whistled sharply, and the craft turned toward the town square, raising the suspicions of the already gathering villagers. The Berkians had catapults already sighted against me as other Vikings stood around with notched arrows and readied bolas. Descending onto the town, the people prepared to launch their weapons, but a booming voice ordered, "Hold your fire!"

I saw Chief Stoick the Vast standing in the middle of the group, focusing on me as my ship landed, and his people looked to each other in confusion. Ignoring his people's confusion, his eyes narrowed as I stomped onto the ground with a smirk.

"You're here earlier than expected, Grimmel."


	4. Situation on Dragonspeaker

**I know that a lot of you may have been wondering why I haven't been updating this story, so I'll explain all of what's going on.**

**I've had rather mixed thoughts on Dragonspeaker, and while I like the idea, I haven't felt like I've been doing overly good on conveying the story. I've felt as though I've rushed the entire plot of the story, making Grimmel an immediate threat, which would've been too difficult for Hiccup to survive this early on. And even though I had a plan for it, it still hadn't seemed like it worked out. So I decided to discontinue it.**

**But the real problem was not conveying this problem immediately to the Favorites and Followers of Dragonspeaker.**

**I've suffered from a lot of real-life problems that make me have a hard time expressing my feelings and thoughts. I knew I shouldn't have told you guys sooner, but I didn't want to face backlash, which I've always felt like I would receive, regardless of a successful or non-successful chapter. I've just felt as if I said this, everyone would feel extremely disappointed, and I didn't want you guys to feel that way.**

**I'm going to be putting Dragonspeaker on a hiatus until I can properly plan it out if I even do... I know I want to continue writing on Fanfiction, but with this whole situation, I was too scared to come back here to say it... I'm sorry if I've let anyone down...**


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